A Chuu-2 Christmas Carol
by Ojamajo Pokemon Master
Summary: Sanae Dekomori does not like Christmas. But that will change when three spirits step into the picture to haunt her. In other words, you already knew the drill by now.
1. Matthew's Ghost

_Author's note:_

_I'm slacking off for a long while from writing fan fiction, but I'm finally back, posting my own variant of the Charles Dickens classic. The idea in writing it is when I watched the 2009 animated film adaptation of the book (more specifically, the Robert Zemeckis version).  
_

_Even though Christmas is done by the time I posted this, it will still be updated with the remaining four chapters in the next few days. It does not necessarily have to be completed before Christmas as long as it is finished.  
_

_This takes place before the events of the bonus Christmas episode of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!._

_Original characters: (Yes, this fanfic is filled with more original characters than The Best Wishes of Haruhi Suzumiya.)  
_

_Matthew Kurisu - An older childhood friend of Sanae who died six years earlier before the events of the story. Takes on the role of Jacob Marley.  
_

_Mitsuki Dekomori - Sanae's cousin. Takes on the role of Fred, Scrooge's nephew._

_Itsuki Takanashi - Older brother of Rikka who is an underpaid clerk working for Sanae's parents. Takes on the role of Bob Cratchit._

* * *

_**A Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! fanfic**_

_**A Chuu-2 Christmas Carol**_

_**Stave 1  
**_

_**Matthew's Ghost**_

* * *

Matthew Kurisu was dead, to begin with. No doubt. It was indicated on his gravestone exactly six years ago, after his life got cut short due to a strong blizzard that ravaged his parents' home. Matthew was as dead as a nail. A doornail to be exact.

Sanae Dekomori, who was young back then, was there on his coffin. She and her parents left the funeral parlor, but she was in a sour mood.

Sanae knew he was dead? Yes, she already knew that. Sanae and Matthew were friends since childhood. They were in the same grade school, but not classmates. In spite of this difference, Sanae was his sole friend and one of his mourners. Matthew's parents were excellent at business, and his funeral was made solemnized.

In the streets, no one ever managed to stop in front of Sanae just to say, "Will you come to our place this Christmas?". None of her friends would want to ask her what time it is, and in short, nobody cared about her. Indeed, as several people thought, she had chuunibyou, alright.

Christmas Eve. Before that day, people make a visit to the shopping malls to find and look for things they can turn into presents, in which they would be given over to their special someone in turn. It isn't exactly celebrated as a holiday in Japan as it used to be in most countries in the world, but nevertheless, the people find it as a very important occasion to celebrate.

Sanae, already grown up in the present day, was in her bedroom in her family's mansion. Outside, the weather was bleak and cold; she could hear the sound of the engines of the cars pass by on the road.

Sanae's cousin, who was named Mitsuki, entered the door to her bedroom, saying, "Hey, there's my cousin! Let's go bowling! Uh, merry Christmas, and may God bless you."

"Bah, humbug."

"Christmas is a humbug to you? Oh come on, my cousin. Don't try to say that."

"Is there a deathly good reason for you to be merry in this time of year? In death's name, your parents are not even rich."

"In your case, do you have a reason to be so grumpy at the same time? Yours are so wealthy, you know," Mitsuki responded.

"In death's name, what a humbug."

"Now, now, my cousin. Don't be like that."

"Listen up, Mitsuki," Sanae said, "Why in the death's name am I here in a world of fools like this? What is Christmas time to you but a time to get your mana replenished without drinking white water, a time for finding yourself a bit older and not an hour wealthier? In death's name, I'll see if I can work my will. Every single person who chants 'Merry Christmas' on his or her lips shall be possessed by demons."

"Cousin!" Mitsuki pleaded.

"Mitsuki," Sanae responded, shooting her face back at Mitsuki, "In death's name, try to keep Festivus or whatever you call it, in your own way, and I'll keep mine."

"But I don't think you are doing it!"

Sanae sighed. She answered, "Just let me leave it alone, in death's name. It's deathly fun to you than it is to me."

"My cousin, there are some things that I see as a sign of goodwill, and Christmas is one of them," Mitsuki explained, "It's apparently that one time when people enjoy and have fun, instead of acquiring this mental illness that's called chuunibyou. Cousin, I tell you this. There's nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas, and may God bless it!"

Mitsuki ended her speech with a clenched fist in the air.

Itsuki Takanashi, the underpaid clerk of Sanae's parents, entered from the door, clapping with applause.

He apparently overheard Mitsuki's speech.

Sanae replied grumpily at Itsuki, "If you make another sound in death's name, you'll spend Christmas not being able to enter this room."

She turned to Mitsuki and said, "You're good."

"Don't be so mean, Sanae," Mitsuki said, "Your friends in school have apparently planned to come over and dine here tomorrow, along with us."

"We'll dine in hell," Sanae responded.

"Cousin, why are you so cold-hearted? Why?" Mitsuki asked.

Sanae dodged the question with the line, "Why did you fall in love?"

"Because everyone does," Mitsuki answered.

Sanae growled, "Everyone does? Good afternoon!"

"You didn't come to see me before that happened."

"Good afternoon."

"I want and ask none from you. Why can't we be friends?"

"Good afternoon!"

"With all my heart, I'm very sorry to see you as being resolute. But I made the trial in respect for Christmas, and therefore. . . . . "

She chanted, clenching her fist in the air, ". . . . . . . merry Christmas, Sanae!"

"Good afternoon!"

". . . . . . and a happy New Year too!"

"In death's name, good afternoon!"

Mitsuki and Itsuki both went out of Sanae's bedroom.

"Another one," Sanae said, "Yet another one who cares about Christmas. I'd rather go and see Master."

A knock was heard from the door. It was Mato Fujiwara, the family maid.

She said, "Ms. Dekomori, two guests are waiting for you."

In the living room, two teenage boys, one who was tall and the other being short, appeared before Sanae and Mato.

The tall one said to the latter, "This must be the Dekomori residence, I presume. Have I the pleasure of addressing Sanae Dekomori?"

The short one added, "And also, Matthew Kurisu. How's he doing?"

"Matthew was long gone seven years ago, in this very day," Sanae said, sitting on a couch.

"I see."

"No doubt about it, his personality is represented by his surviving friend," the taller boy said, "At this festive season, it is more than just desirable that we must provide help to the Filipinos made homeless by a recent calamity. Millions of people in the Philippines do not share the same way of life as the Japanese do. Therefore, we would like to appreciate your assistance."

"Are there no administration bureaus?"

"I don't get what you mean, but there's plenty of it, I suppose," the shorter boy said.

"You don't even know what she's talking about," the tall boy replied to the shorter one, shrugging him by the shoulder.

"And the parallel worlds. Are they still existing?"

"I wish you weren't saying something strange," the tall boy said to Sanae.

The short one continued, "Some of us here have settled with the idea of establishing a charity fund to provide the homeless Filipinos something to eat and drink. What will we put you and your family down for?"

Sanae thought, concluding with, "None."

"Do you wish to stay anonymous?"

"In death's name, I wish to be alone!" the grumpy Sanae answered, "I do not make myself merry at this time of period, and I cannot afford to make homeless servants happy. I only care about what I just mentioned earlier, and that's that. Whoever is badly off is better off to be meeting demons."

The tall boy said, "Those parallel worlds you say don't make sense to us both."

"Well, I hope these people jumped off to an alternate dimension to make the population less crowded!"

The two boys never wore an angry smile.

"That was . . . . . a bit rude," the tall boy said.

"Good afternoon!" Sanae concluded, with the boys apparently having no choice but to leave the residence.

After a warm dinner that evening, she turned off the lights before she went to bed. And of course, she didn't want to go to sleep without turning on the lampshade.

Just before she could get some shuteye, she heard a strange sound. But she had no idea where it was.

"The demons must've tried to give me the chills," Sanae said to herself, trying to go to sleep.

But it was interrupted again, this time by the ringing of her alarm clock.

The ringing eventually turned into a sound of church bells pealing loudly. Sanae covered her ears until the noise died down.

Another one that's bizarre would unfold before Sanae.

She heard a clinking sound from the door as something came nearby.

Not wanting to know who it was, she whimpered with fear.

The door knob slowly moved, with a little squeaking. But because it was locked, the door wasn't opened.

"At least it's just a sound!"

Four ghostly pigment green daggers linked to chains shot out of the door, striking a wall.

"Could that be from a alternate dimension?"

A ghost then showed up, looking very unclean in appearance, along with some smoke emanating from his body. He was tied up to the chains struck to the wall by daggers.

Sanae was still shivering as she got back up. She said, "Just what in death's name do you want from me?"

"A lot," the ghost replied in a weak tone.

"Just who in death's name are you?"

"You must ask me who I was first."

"I swear in death's name that your face looks very familiar."

"In life, I was your childhood friend, Matthew Kurisu."

Sanae's trembling look on her face disappeared. She said, "Can you sit down?"

"Uh, okay then."

Matthew Kurisu's ghost slowly sat down on a nearby chair. He then said, "I think you don't believe in the Matthew who has believed in you."

"Of course, I didn't, in death's name," Sanae replied.

"Why doubt your senses?" asked Matthew's ghost.

"Even a slight thing affects them. Perhaps it was caused by mages, spirits and fairies?" Sanae thought.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Matthew's ghost yelled, intimidating Sanae.

"Mercy to you, apparition! Why trouble me like that?"

"Girl of the delusional mind, do you believe in the Matthew who has believed in you?!"

"Of course I do!"

"I'm in despair! Woe is me, and because of this, . . . . . . . . I'm in despair!" Matthew's ghost ranted.

"What's with the chains that you have placed on yourself?"

"I wear the chain that I forged in life. Link by link and yard by yard, I have made it."

Matthew's ghost approached Sanae, making her glance at the chain he was gripping.

"Does this pattern make you look weird?"

Sanae trembled.

"This chain that you bear is as long and heavy as those six Christmas Eves ago. You just worked on this ponderous chain since then."

"Tell me no more, in death's name," Sanae said.

Matthew's ghost replied, "I have none to give. I can't stay for that much longer. I cannot wander off. You see, in life, my spirit never wandered past the places I went. In life, my spirit never got past the limits of chuunibyou. And now, endless journeys are in front of me, as I look forward to undertake them."

"Six years and yet you went to different worlds at the same time?"

"Yes, wielder of the Mjolnir Hammer. I never rested, and I never had peace this whole time."

"You must've covered a lot of ground going to different worlds for so long."

Matthew's ghost yelled out a cry. He then said, "I could never get rid of chuunibyou after being shamed in front of so many people! Woe is me, I tell you!"

"But you have masters of excellent business, and uh. . . .~"

"Business!?" Matthew's ghost exclaimed, "Chuunibyou is not their business. The Mabinogion is not their business. Love, fairies, and ghosts are my business!"

Suddenly, Matthew's ghost choked, coughing up in the process. He then continued to say, "By the way, my time is almost up."

"What do you mean in death's name your time's almost up?"

"I'm just here to warn you that there's a hope of you averting my fate."

"If you were a master, I would want to be your servant," Sanae replied.

"Three spirits will come to haunt you."

Sanae continued to tremble, saying, "Spirits who will try to possess me?"

"Spirits who will convince you to escape my fate. And also, they will sound like three of your friends."

"That's it?"

"So, do you want to make a contract with me and have a bottle of Morning Rescue when you fulfill it?"

Sanae nodded her head.

"The first thing to do is, you must meet the first of the spirits tomorrow when the clock strikes at one."

"Can I just meet all three of them at once?"

Matthew's ghost replied, "They won't appear at the same time. So expect to meet the second at the following night at the second hour, and the third one the night after that, when the clock strikes at 12 in the midnight."

Matthew pulled the chains, removing the daggers linked to them from the wall.

He then said, "Have a nice night not seeing me anymore," disappearing at the window along with the chains and the daggers linked to them.

Sanae opened the window to follow Matthew's ghost, only to hear incoherent sounds of regret and lamentation caused by phantoms wandering about outside.

Wearing an eerie look on her face, she noticed every single one wearing chains on their bodies just like Matthew's ghost.

Not wanting to be scared for any longer, she closed the window and went to check the door where the specter of Matthew went. The knob was locked, as she locked it already.

She mumbled, "Me? Meeting up with three spirits?"

She then went back to sleep, starting to feel uncomfortable about the words Matthew's ghost gave to her.

* * *

_(A/N: The chapter notes are there because I couldn't resist pulling off all those references.)_

_Chapter notes:  
_

_* Grand Theft Auto IV - "Hey, there's my cousin! Let's go bowling!"_

_* Seinfeld - Sanae mentions Festivus._

_* __Puella Magi Madoka Magica - Matthew's ghost quotes "So, do you want to make a contract with me and have a bottle of Morning Rescue when you fulfill it?"_

_* __Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei - Matthew's ghost channeling Nozomu Itoshiki.  
_

_* Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - "Who the hell do you think I am?!" And also, Matthew's ghost quotes a variant of Kamina's "Believe in me who believes in you" speech.  
_


	2. The Evening Siesta of Christmas Past

_A/N: Christmas is over and done with, but that's not stopping me from updating with this chapter and the next. _

_Original characters: _

_Jun - Sanae's late cousin. Basically, he is a gender-bent Fanny and also an inverted one too, since he is older than Sanae._

* * *

**_A Chuu-2 Christmas Carol _**

**_Stave 2_**

**_The Evening Siesta . . . . . . . of Christmas Past_**

* * *

Sanae could not sleep in her bed. She was apparently shivering yet again, still thinking of Matthew's ghost.

When the clock in her room struck at one, the chimes above the bedroom door rang. Sanae emerged from her bed, only to be flashed by a ray of light.

Surprised at what she saw, Sanae covered her eyes.

The light was caused by a short, candle-like figure with a purple flame on its head. Both of its arms were stubby, and its right eye was covered with melted wax. It was also holding a metal cap on its right arm.

In aghast, Sanae asked, "You must be the first ghost whom I must meet, right?"

The figure floated near her, replying softly in a familiar feminine voice, "Yes, I am."

"Just who and what in death's name are you?" Sanae asked, "One thing's for sure, you sound like Kumin."

"Of course I am Kumin Tsuyuri, but unlike my true self, I don't take a lot of naps. And also, I am the Ghost of Christmas Past."

"Long past?"

"Yours."

After a few seconds, the Ghost of Christmas Past said, "You must walk with me to show you the way you were before."

Dragged by one of the Ghost's arms as it went to the window, Sanae became reluctant.

"I have a deathly bad feeling about this."

"Perhaps I can give you a hand."

Sanae was suddenly imbued in a purple aura, being lifted up in the air by a psychic power.

The window formed a portal as the Ghost and Sanae soared right into it.

The two warped themselves into a snowy hill where a nearby building stood by.

"I think I spent childhood in this place," Sanae said, eventually wearing a smile, "I was a young girl back then."

The Ghost asked, "Do you know the way?"

"Of course, I do! I could walk it even when I'm blinded by gamma rays."

Racing past Sanae were four children going down the snowy hill on toboggans and sleds.

"These are but shadows of what have been," explained the Ghost, "They are not aware of our existence."

"I think those were schoolmates of mine," Sanae said, referring to the four children who raced past her.

"We must go on."

The Ghost levitated Sanae with a psychic power and brought her along to a nearby grade school.

"I think this is where I spent grade school," Sanae said.

"It isn't completely isolated," the Ghost said, "a solitary child neglected by her friends . . . . . . . . , is still there."

"I already know."

The two went inside the school, making a beeline for one of the classrooms, where a younger version of Sanae was, feeling isolated, miserable, and lonely while sitting on an armchair.

"Poor girl," Sanae said, showing sympathy.

"Care to see another Christmas?"

Without saying a word, Sanae noticed the classroom suddenly warping its appearance. The white-colored paint was turning darker, and some parts of the ceiling were completely new.

Sanae came to notice her younger self still feeling melancholy in the classroom until someone came from the door.

He was taller than Sanae, and he bent his back to grasp her hands.

"Little sis, I have come to bring you home, along with Mato," the boy said, "That's right. To bring both of you home."

"Home, Jun?"

"Yes, home. I never expected Dad to be so kind, and in fact, he spoke up to me one night. I never hesitated to ask him if you and Mato can come home, and he said yes. He even brought me in his car just to pick up both of you. The best part is, how we will celebrate Christmas is even merrier than ever! What do you think about that, Sanae?"

The younger version of Sanae had no choice but to hug her older cousin. She was shedding tears of joy.

"He can purge hearts very well," Sanae said.

The Ghost added, "He also died a man."

Sanae added, "He had First, Second, and Third Children."

The Ghost said, "Also, he's one of your cousins."

"Yeah."

Sanae suddenly rubbed her left eye.

"Something wrong?"

"It was nothing. Just some pixie dust in my eye."

The two then warped out of the classroom, soaring high up in the night sky by a psychic power. The two eventually arrived in front of a building.

The Ghost asked, "Do you know this place?"

"I think this is where Mom was a servant!"

The Ghost asked, "Or in other words, you mean apprentice?"

Sanae nodded with glee, wearing a smile.

Inside the building, the two noticed Sanae's mom and a man working in their nearby desks. Sanae's younger self was with her mom the whole time.

Suddenly, a man in formal business attire appeared before them, saying, "It's already 6 pm. Do you know what that means?"

Sanae's mother replied, "Uh, Christmas Eve, sir?"

"That's right, it's Christmas Eve. There's no need to continue working tonight, and because of all the hard work you two had, it is of my pleasure to pick you two as one of the lucky employees invited to a party at my brother's place! Ms. Dekomori, you can bring your daughter along too, if you like, because there will be parlor games for the kids."

The Ghost warped Sanae outside a condominium where the party attended by Sanae's younger self and her mom was held.

Sanae's mom had fun with her working partner, dancing around while a band played a medley of Christmas songs. The band also belted out covers of their favorite songs.

The manager of the company Sanae's mom works at eventually showed up on stage to play the electric guitar, playing riffs of opening and ending theme songs from the anime he likes, such as the Pokemon Theme, Tobe! Gundam, and Don't Say "Lazy", of all things. Apparently, some of the employees he invited were apparently fans of popular anime.

The Ghost brought Sanae inside the condo, where her younger self and several other children were seen playing a parlor game.

The parlor game was called musical chairs. At that time, there were only three participants left, which were Sanae's younger self, another girl, and a boy.

The three were dancing around the only two chairs that remained, and when the music stopped, Sanae ended up sitting on the same chair as the boy.

It was love at first sight, with Sanae's younger self glancing her face at the boy.

As the game continued on, Sanae and the Ghost warped out of the scene.

The two were now in a waiting shed during Sanae's middle school days where she and the boy she met were sitting at one of the benches.

"Another one has replaced me. . . . . . . "

"Another one? What is it?"

"A golden one, I suppose."

"There's no way happiness is ever attained without checking out the Mabinogion!"

"You fear everything too much," the boy said, "It seems you have gotten a little strange."

"Me? Changed? For death's sake, I would never be strange in front of you."

"Our friendship . . . . . . is getting old. It was made at the start of middle school and it was made to be so. When it was made, you were somebody else . . . . . , some other girl."

"Of course I was a girl since then!" Sanae's younger self shouted.

The boy sighed, and before he was about to leave, he said, "Simply put, I am now willing to leave you."

"Hey, hold on. Have I asked you to leave me in death's name?"

"Verbally? That's no."

"If not, then what in death's name is it?"

"A changed nature, an altered spirit, or perhaps whatever you might have thought of straight from chuunibyou. If this friendship wasn't between us, would you accept me to be your friend? If I were you, I'll go with 'no'."

The boy added before leaving, "I hope you're happy with yourself, because I feel bothered by you anyways."

The middle-school Sanae frowned without saying a word, still sitting at the bench.

The boy, on the other hand, took a ride in a car that has just arrived, apparently driven by his mother. It then left.

"Spirit, I wish to get the heck away from here," Sanae said, starting to get anxious.

"These are the shadows of the things that have been, so don't try to blame me. I told you that a while ago."

"It's scaring the heck out of me," Sanae continued.

But the Ghost didn't do anything.

"Take me back . . . . . . . I'm gonna kill that illusion of yours!"

Shrieking in agony, the Ghost said, "No! Don't do this to me! Your life is one lived with a single regret!"

Grabbing the metal candle snuffer with her right hand, Sanae pushed it down to the Ghost, extinguishing it.

However, it caused a strong upward blast that warped her back in the night sky.

"I'm blasting off again!" Sanae exclaimed, clinging herself to the snuffer.

The blaze eventually disappeared along with the snuffer, causing Sanae to make a huge fall. Fortunately, she ended up being warped back into her bedroom with her face fallen flat into the bed.

"Such misfortune."

* * *

_Chapter notes:_

_* Pokemon - The Ghost of Christmas Past is highly implied to resemble Litwick, minus the metal snuffer cap that it carries. Sanae is then levitated using a move similar to Psychic. The manager belts out a rock version of the Pokemon Theme. And finally, Sanae channels Team Rocket when they blast off in most episodes of the anime._

_* Star Wars - "I have a deathly bad feeling about this."_

_* Sanae mentions she had pixie dust on her eye, bringing to mind the Disney film adaptation of Peter Pan._

_* Theme songs from K-On! and Mobile Suit Gundam are riffed at the Christmas party.  
_

_* Neon Genesis Evangelion - Continuing from the episode where she is first introduced, Sanae mentions the First, Second, and Third Children.  
_

_* Fist of the North Star - The Ghost of Christmas Past's last words are based after Raoh's._

_* Sanae channels Touma Kamijou of A Certain Magical Index before killing off the Ghost of Christmas Past. And also, the last line of the chapter.  
_


	3. Dark Flame Master of Christmas Present

_A/N: This one's pretty long. And also, original characters are expected yet again, so . . . . . . ._

_Original characters: The other members of the Takanashi family, aside from Itsuki (who is also an OC), Touka, Rikka, and their deceased father:_

_Satoshi Takanashi - The second eldest son._

_Ritsuko Takanashi - Third eldest after Touka._

_Junko Takanashi - The second youngest daughter._

* * *

_**A Chuu-2 Christmas Carol**_

_**Stave 3**_

_**Dark Flame Master . . . . . of Christmas Present**_

* * *

Sanae was unable to sleep in her bed, thinking her thoughts up. She still didn't forget the words of Matthew Kurisu's ghost.

When the clock struck at two, she heard a cackling voice.

Later on, the door leaving her bedroom suddenly lit up, opening in front of Sanae as she got up from her bed.

"Was that light coming from an alternate dimension?" she thought to herself.

"Sanae, you can enter," a deep masculine voice said.

The twin-tailed girl exited out of her bedroom, in aghast of what she saw.

The living room was bedecked with several Christmas decorations.

There also appeared a long table filled with food, dessert and beverages.

The tall Christmas tree sparkled up the room, where a certain teenage boy sat on top of it.

He was holding a lit-up torch that resembled a cornucopia. He was also dressed in a green robed version of his signature gothic black coat and black belted pants, and his brown hair covered up most of his face.

"Get embraced by the spirit of Christmas! You must know me better!"

"Dark Flame Master?"

"Yes, I am the Dark Flame Master, filling in as the Ghost of Christmas Present," said the Ghost, cackling, "You haven't seen the likes of me before, did you?"

"Uh, yes. You call yourself Yuuta Togashi, right?"

"Yes, but an alternate persona of him, to be specific," the Ghost replied, continuing, "Have you walked with my brothers?"

"Uh, no. You have that many brothers?"

The Ghost cackled, answering, "It's over 2,000!"

Sanae thought, "What? 2,000? There's no way that can be deathly right!"

"More specifically, 2,012 of them. It's good to know that the Mayan apocalypse that would've purged the world into darkness didn't happen just to hinder my brother's existence."

"Oh, I see. You've got a scabbard, but do you still have that sword with you?"

The Ghost looked at the scabbard latched beside his waist. Indeed, there was no sword that goes with it.

"Peace and goodwill, that's why."

"Spirit, take me to where you will," Sanae said nervously.

The Ghost once again cackled, eventually saying, "But first, you must touch my robe."

Sanae went closer to the Ghost and simply did what she did, groping the strap.

Sparks flew over from the Ghost's cornucopia-like torch, sprinkling to the ground. Much to Sanae's aghast, the floor turned transparent, revealing a view of the Dekomori residence from above in the evening sky.

She was starting to grip at the strap of the Ghost's robe as the room literally soared high up throughout the snowing city through the latter's control. Later on, she glanced at an aerial view of two people making snowballs and throwing them right at each other.

After that, she became amazed, noticing several people in a shopping mall, planning some purchases before the eleventh hour passed by. Some others were outside, window shopping.

"It's so beautiful," she then said, "But those people outside appear not to have money. Isn't Christmas supposed to be celebrating fancy feasts and exchanging fancy gifts in fancy abodes? I do think that it's been deathly done in your name."

The Ghost had a frowning look on his face, slightly tilting the room. He said, "There are some people from this dimension who think they know me and my brothers, and yet, they do commit selfishness and ill will in our name. My brothers and I do not know these people and treat them like they were thrown into the flames of darkness. So, whatever you do, don't blame their wrongdoings to us."

"Uh, yeah," Sanae said, rubbing her nape.

The two then warped themselves to the Takanashi family house, located a few miles away from the city.

Sanae said, "I take it that this bleak, not-so-fancy house is some sort of significance."

"That is all what a good servant of your masters can afford for only getting a small amount of yen a week. You should've done something to give him a better life."

Most of the Takanashi family were preparing for dinner at the dining table. At that time, Ritsuko has just arrived from the door.

"Ma, the food is going to be prepared soon, and it's very delicious."

Ms. Takanshi replied, "Shut the door please."

Ritsuko shut the door, as Ms. Takanashi continued, "Just what happened to Itsuki?"

"He'll be coming here anytime soon," Ritsuko said.

"And I'm sure Touka will also be here anytime soon," said Ms. Takanashi.

And yes, Touka was there at the door, entering.

"There's Touka," Ritsuko said as she let Touka in, "Say, you're a cook in Italy, right? You must wait until you see the food we prepared."

Ms. Takanashi said, "Ritsuko, go and get the food from the kitchen."

As Ritsuko left out of the scene, she continued, "Thank goodness Touka's here. My dear, how's life going?"

"I had a lot of work to finish and clear up in Italy one day before I came here."

"Never mind that, as long as you are here. Sit down at the kotatsu and warm up."

Satoshi looked at the window and said, "I think Itsuki's coming. Touka, hide under the kotatsu."

"But it's too small for her to get in, and she could risk getting a burn," Junko said, "I know. She must hide under the stairs!"

Junko brought Touka inside a closet under the stairs and let her hide there.

The next one to enter was Itsuki, no doubt.

Not just him, but Rikka was here too, upon his shoulders.

Unfortunately, she bore a crutch because she was hurt, and her limbs were supported by an iron frame. She still had her eyepatch worn on her right eye.

"Tell me, where's Touka?" Itsuki said.

Ms. Takanashi replied, "I don't think she is coming."

"There's no way that can be right, Ma. My younger sister's not coming on Christmas Day?"

Touka slowly showed up from below the stairs, but Itsuki already noticed her as he said, "Oh, there you are."

Satoshi said, "Bro, we got you."

Touka said, "You see, I cannot bear to see you feeling disappointed."

Itsuki answered, "It's so good to see you again after a long while, Touka."

Junko said, "Rikka, I think I'm smelling the food getting cooked. Care to see it?"

While she proceeded with Rikka to the kitchen, Ms. Takanashi asked, "Itsuki, how's Rikka doing? Did she behave?"

"Ma, she's good as gold. And she's getting better too," Itsuki said, "Somehow, she's thoughtful sitting by herself so much, and just as you would expect from her so-called Wicked Eye, she's still thinking of the strangest things you've ever heard. She was apparently wishing that people will come to our temple because she was crippled, and it would be pleasant enough for them to remember Christmas Day, who made the beggars walk and the blind be able to see."

Ms. Takanashi started to shed a tear while Itsuki continued, "I believe she's getting stronger everyday, Ma."

Junko and Rikka went back from the kitchen.

Rikka said, "The white liquid, it tastes good."

Junko added, "What she really means is, she liked the soup!"

The Takanashi family gathered at the table as Ritsuko brought in to the center of the table a platter of fried buttered chicken. The plates and utensils were apparently placed at the table.

"That was well done," Ms. Takanashi said.

Touka said, "I never expected to see the buttered fried chicken to be well cooked."

"And a magnificent one, that's for sure," Ms. Takanashi continued, "But I hope that someday, we will get to taste Christmas cake."

"I'll prepare it next time," Touka replied, "Next time."

More food was being placed into the table. Pizza, a platter of rice, bowls of ramen and miso soup, and sushi were placed beside the platter of fried butter chicken.

"A toast . . . . . . to Dekomori Sanae, daughter of the founders of this wonderful feast," Itsuki said, holding a glass of cola.

"Daughter of the founders of this wonderful feast . . . . . . . not!" Satoshi said, "If only she was here this whole time just to see Rikka. I'd rather give her a piece of advice to feast upon, and I'm also expecting her to have a good appetite for it!"

Sanae tried to move away from the sight, but the Ghost dragged her twin-tailed hair, stopping her.

Itsuki said, "Ma, my brothers and sisters, grandpa and grandma, it's Christmas Day. Papa is gone, but nevertheless, we will still celebrate it."

"Christmas Day?" Satoshi ranted, slamming his fist at the table, "Who's drinking to the health of some girl who's so insane, crazy, stingy, and emotionally reclusive to society as much as Sanae Dekomori? You know she is, bro. While most of us here are all aware about her, no one knows it better than you do."

"But then and then again, Satoshi, it's Christmas. Calm down," Itsuki answered, "You already knew the drill by now."

"Listen up, bro. I'll drink her health for your sake and this day, not hers. So, Ma, can we care to do a toast?"

Everyone stood to do a toast with their glasses as Ms. Takanashi said, "A merry Christmas and a happy New Year."

Satoshi then continued, "I'm expecting Sanae to be very merry and very happy, no doubt!"

"So, a merry Christmas to us all once more," Itsuki said, "May God bless us."

The family then echoed the last few lines that Itsuki gave.

"God bless us, everyone," Rikka said softly, also doing a toast.

While the family spent their Christmas feast, Sanae asked, "Spirit, tell me. Will Master be . . . . "

The Ghost interrupted, saying, "I see a vacant chair . . . . . in one corner of this room, and a crutch without an owner . . . . . . that was carefully preserved."

"Spirit, tell me if Master will be spared."

"If these shadows do not change in the future, she will most likely be vanished by the flames of darkness."

"No! This can't happen to Master, in death's name. I am her servant, after all."

The Ghost brought out a handheld voice recorder, playing an audio of Sanae saying, "Well, I hope these people jumped off to a parallel world to make the population less crowded!"

With a push of the stop button, the voice recorder vanished into a dark purple flame. The Ghost then asked, "You said that, right?"

Sanae gasped, saying, "Why would I?"

"It records every speech you make, so denying isn't going to work," the Ghost smirked, adding, "Ha, just as planned."

Whimpering, Sanae thought, "I never thought that Master would possibly be thrown into darkness because of what I just said."

The view of the dining room in the Takanashi residence vanished, shifting to the scene inside a restaurant not far from Sanae Dekomori's residence where Mitsuki and some of Sanae Dekomori's friends in school had a guessing game. Every person had a glass of punch to drink.

Sanae thought, "I thought Mitsuki said she would dine at my abode along with my friends at school. Did she lie to me?"

Laughter burst out in the room as Mitsuki and Sanae's schoolmates made their guesses.

"Is it a Pokemon?"

"No."

"A Digimon?"

"Nope."

"Is it a rather disagreeable animal?"

"Yes."

"Is it an creature that grunts and growls?"

"Yes, and a close one at that."

". . . . . . and is Japanese?"

"Yes."

"Was that a horse?"

"No."

"An ass?"

"Both yes and no."

"I think I know who it is, it's your good ol' friend, Sanae Dekomori!"

"Yes, you did it!" Mitsuki replied, laughing with glee along with the other people.

Sanae frowned, continuing to glance.

"Christmas a humbug? Now, did she actually say that?" Mitsuki said.

A female voice said, "As if. And I knew it that she believes."

Sanae tried to move away, but once again, the Ghost dragged her twin-tailed hair.

"I have gotten no patience over her, Mitsuki," a male voice said.

"But I feel sorry for her though, so I have," Mitsuki replied, "It's just that she is horribly failing to see her own mistakes and apparently suffering from this mental disorder called chuunibyou. She comes to hate us, refuses to dine with us, and now, she wasted a great opportunity witnessing a great dinner."

Yet another boy said, "Yeah, you're right. A magnificent one at that."

Mitsuki continued, "She did play a part making the good times, but those were horribly changing, so it seems to be of no importance to her. I tried to invite her to dine with us, and yet she declined. Well, as I said, I do pity her. So . . . . . . "

She sighed, adding, "Merry Christmas to the little girl who claims to possess the Mjolnir . . . . something, Sanae Dekomori."

"Sanae Dekomori!" The rest chanted in unison, making a toast with their glasses of punch.

The entire scene then vanished, turning the living room back to normal.

It became dark, the only light being from the window caused by the moonlight in the night sky.

Sanae looked back at the Ghost. The light in his torch shrunk to a small size, and his hair turned gray.

"Does a spirit like you have a life this short?" Sanae asked.

"Yes, wielder of the Mjolnir Hammer. It's very brief, and it ends tonight."

"Tonight?"

"At midnight, to be exact. The time for the Dark Flame Master to part ways has finally come."

It was 11:59 PM at the grandfather clock near the TV. A few seconds later, it would be about to make a chiming sound.

Suddenly, two pairs of red eyes glowed in the darkness, their feet exposed to the moonlight.

"Forgive me, but uh, while I'm not seeing something in your skirt, I'm seeing something right behind you," Sanae said.

"It is something else. Look beside me."

The two creatures with glowing red eyes showed up in the moonlight, revealing themselves to be two dragons, one in black and the other in white.

The former had a protrusion on its head, and at the back of it is a thunderbolt-like crest with a light-blue tip. Above its padded shoulders are its web-like wings. Both of its arms extended to what looks like a baseball mitt, with its claws on both undersides. Its body is obviously colored black, and so are its waist, knees and claws. Finally, its tail resembled an electric generator.

The latter, on the other hand, had a head that looks canine. Its mane streamed outward from its head, which had protrusions resembling ears. Its neck is slender, having two neckbands, and a protrusion jutting out from the upper neckband. Its arms resemble wings for flying, but both have four claws that look like hands. Protrusions jut out of its thighs. Its body is colored white also obviously, along with its high-heeled feet and the rest of the body. Lastly, its tail resembled that of a jet engine that has a ribbon-like extension jutting out of it.

"Look at them."

_"Are you daft, punk?"_ said the black dragon.

Stunned by their appearance and the look of their faces, Sanae turned away.

"Look at them," the Ghost said.

Sanae became reluctant. She thought, "Those dragons must be from another world!"

"I said look at the dragons you see beside me!" the Ghost shouted.

Sanae was forced to glance at the two dragons beside the Ghost.

_"Run away!"_ the white dragon ranted out.

"Tell me, are those dragons yours?" Sanae asked the Ghost, whimpering.

The latter replied, "Those are mankind's. The white dragon there on my right was once the dragon of truth, now defamed to be the dragon that represents ignorance. The dragon on my left was once the dragon of ideals, now defamed to represent want. Beware of them."

The grandfather clock struck at twelve midnight, making a chiming sound. The Ghost, taking on the appearance of the Dark Flame Master, but in a green robe instead of his signature outfit, felt as if he suffered a heart attack. Purple flames were accumulating over him as he succumbed to the ground, making his last cackle. The flames on his torch vanished into a thin wisp.

"Is there no refuge? No resource?" Sanae asked.

_"Are there any administration bureaus?"_ the white dragon said, whipping a fiery hot gale that she desperately struggled to avoid.

_"Are there any parallel worlds?"_ the black dragon ranted, nearly crisscrossing Sanae with its electrified claws.

Sanae realized that the prophecy Matthew's ghost gave to her was going to be right all along. While the Ghost of Christmas Present vanished in thin air along with the two dragons beside him, Sanae was all alone in the living room, staring at her shadow cast by the moonlight outside the roof window.

"I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away. . . . . . " Sanae softly mumbled to herself. She was starting to feel the chills again as a certain specter made its stealthy arrival.

* * *

_Chapter notes:_

_* Dragon Ball Z - The "over 9000!" meme is reenacted when the Ghost of Christmas Present mentions the number of his elder brothers._

_* Death Note - "Just as planned."_

_* The guessing game between Mitsuki and Sanae's friends in school name drops Digimon and Pokemon._

_* The two dragons that resemble Ignorance and Want are highly implied to resemble the Pokemon Reshiram and Zekrom, respectively.  
_

_* "Are you daft, punk?" This refers to Daft Punk of course, but it can also refer to the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Abridged comment special where the said line was spoken._

_* The last line of the chapter is one of the lines that Shinji Ikari says in the first episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion._


	4. Mori Summer of Christmas Yet to Come

_Author's note: I have to admit it, I made up Sanae's birth year and birthday, but it's there just for the sake of the story.  
_

_P.S.: Did you know that this fanfic is the first one I ever wrote to contain swearing? Expect the rating to change!  
_

_Original characters:_

_Mitsuo Mizuki - The owner of the thrift shop where Mato Fujiwara visits. He is also an undertaker.  
_

* * *

_**A Chuu-2 Christmas Carol**_

_**Stave 4**_

_**Mori Summer . . . . . of Christmas Yet to Come**_

* * *

Sanae looked at her own shadow caused by the moonlight. It moved, even though Sanae didn't move her arms. The shadow she cast appeared to make a slight sway of its arms.

"Is that the Ghost of Christmas of the near future?" She asked to herself, kneeling to the ground.

"I'm expecting you to show me the deathly things that have not happened yet, but will occur in the future, correct?"

The shadow nodded its head.

Sanae started to shake her body nervously in front of the ominous figure. Out of all the three spirits who have haunted her, the third one is the one that she fears the most.

"Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, I am deathly in fear of you more than the ghosts mentioned in ghost stories. And I know that you have a purpose, and that is to do me good. I'm left with no deathly choice but to seek change for the sake of my fate and for all the people around me too. So, go on."

The ominous shadow stood still like a statue.

"Stop standing still already in death's name, spirit. Lead on."

The cloaked figure appeared in its physical form, scaring Sanae. The scenery warped, bringing Sanae and the specter in front of Sanae's high school one snowy afternoon.

Students were freshly out from their classes, talking to each other.

Three boys and one girl were sitting on a waiting shed where Sanae stumbled into.

"Wait, what? Just when did she die?" the girl asked.

"Last night, I think. Or maybe it was on Christmas day," another boy answered.

"Would you believe that she would never die, and yet she did, at an early age?" the girl said.

"Yeah, good point. Just what the hell has she done having chuunibyou anyways?" another boy ranted.

"I haven't heard. I missed it by that much."

The three boys laughed cheerfully while Sanae was not amused.

"I think I've heard that there's going to be a so-called cheap funeral," said the first to speak.

"I don't have the slightest idea who would want to attend it. Aliens, time travelers and espers, perhaps?"

The girl said, "I wouldn't mind going though. . . . . . . , only if chocolate cornets are provided."

The boy who was the second to speak answered, "Neh, too bad they wouldn't! There's no way one can eat a cornet without spilling all the chocolate!"

The four students continued to chuckle.

"So, good day, and it's nice to meet you three," the girl said, greeting the three boys.

After that, the four students parted ways.

The afternoon sky changed quickly, eventually getting dark.

Sanae said to herself, "Get hold of yourself."

Looking at her shadow again cast from a faint white streetlight, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come pointed its finger at a wall.

There, a dark silhouette appearing to have rips on its shoulders and tatters on its waist appeared.

It appeared physically, approaching Sanae.

Looking back at the specter, it pointed its finger at her.

The shadow proceeded to rush before her.

"Bend the reality, synapse break! Banishment this world!" Sanae chanted.

A hammer appeared before Sanae's grasp as she chanted out, "Mjolnir Tornado!"

She spun her "hammer" in a clockwise motion to hit the shadow. But it did nothing to stop it, and so, the hammer vanished.

"It didn't work?"

The latter retaliated by firing an ominous ball of aura. Apparently defeated, Sanae had no choice but to retreat.

The pursuit continued when Sanae went away from the school grounds, passed by a bridge, and entered the empty city streets.

Sanae was in aghast by the shadow trying to chase her. Unfortunately, the road warped by itself, getting narrower and narrower.

Desperate to escape from the shadow, she went to the right, leading to an alley, where several ghosts emerged from the ground.

However, she was unable to find an escape route because of a nearby dead end. She suddenly ended up shrinking to a small size as the shadow continued to chase her.

Fortunately, Sanae went to a nearby metal pipe and hid herself there.

Disgruntled, she said, "Ha! You can't see me from here, you agent of darkness!"

She crawled on the pipe until she got out of it.

Now on another street, the shrunken Sanae landed her feet on the pavement.

Unfortunately, the shadow from earlier appeared, continuing to chase after Sanae.

The latter sighed with dismay, continuing to run away from the shadow.

But this time, the Ghost was also there, pointing its finger at Sanae.

The shadow proceeded to fire ominous balls of aura at her, prompting her to avoid them. But one of them nearly hit Sanae, causing her to get blasted away by the impact.

Fortunately, just when she was about to get grabbed physically by the Ghost, she ended up entering a gutter.

Much to her aghast, she slid through the pipes partially frozen with water. Suddenly, the pipes warped her out to a frozen rooftop of a house located beside a cottage with a chimney not far from the city where she never saw in her life.

From the roof, she screamed, falling down to a sack of goods nearby.

Later, she heard a female and male voice saying. . . . .

"Merry Christmas, Mitsuo." "And a happy New Year to you too."

"Come in to my parlor and I'll see what you got there," said a man named Mitsuo.

The young woman, who was named Mato, unloaded a sack full of things. Sanae was also unloaded out still alive.

"If she wanted to keep those trinkets, why isn't she nice when she was alive? If she was, then somebody would've saved her from certain doom," said Mato.

"Yeah. Good point, Mato," said Mitsuo, "Is that all you've got?"

Sanae looked at Mato and uttered in aghast, "Mato? How could you do this to me?"

Mato unloaded her sack, revealing some things.

Bed curtains, a pair of stockings with pink and white stripes, a pink blouse, and a certain scrapbook, among others.

"What's that?" Mitsuo asked, grabbing the scrapbook, "You stole this from her room while she was asleep, along with those other things you have?"

"I did." Mato replied, "I have heard that this was called the Mabinogion. This is the source of all the delusions that she acquired, and this is in fact, the last copy she produced before she died."

"You know, Mato, you're definitely going to get a fortune once we sell this in the Internet," Mitsuo said, "Too bad people will look at it as some strange book written by witch doctors though."

"Don't put something dirty on that scrapbook."

"Her scrapbook?!"

"Who else owns this other than her? She's not going to get sane without it anyways."

"I hope she didn't die because of an illness caused by somebody claiming to be Kira writing her name on a certain black notebook, did she?" Mitsuo said.

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm not that fond of her so much, I just wanted to loiter about it."

Sanae looked at her shadow cast by the light from the fireplace, only to find out that the Ghost was there the whole time.

"You may look at it in that blouse of hers, and you won't find even a single hole in it," said Mato, handing out the pink blouse, "It was the very best like no one ever was, the best one she had. It would've been wasted away, if it wasn't for the fact that I picked it up."

Mitsuo asked, "What do you mean it was wasted?"

"Somebody was foolish enough to put it on her to be buried in along with her. But I took it off from her."

While Mitsuo chuckled, Sanae listened in horror.

"I guess all's well that ends well," Mato continued, "She estranged her friends away when she was alive, only to give us some profit to begin with now that she's dead. Hahahahaha!"

"You said it, Mato," Mitsuo said.

"Spirit, I see it now in death's name," Sanae said, shivering horrendously, "The case of this unhappy girl who miserably gets purged into the darkness could most likely be mine. It tends to stay that way. Just what the hell is going on?"

The Ghost warped the scene as it shifted to a young girl lying in a bed in a room without any curtains, covered in a sheet. The Ghost pointed its finger to the bed as Sanae turned her back.

"Just what in death's name is this?"

Much to her shock, she noticed the girl lying in the bed, covered in sheets.

"Spirit, this is a deathly fearful place. I already understood my lesson. Let's go!"

Sanae shut her eyes, trying not to look.

Pointing at the head, Ghost pulled the sheet gently, revealing blonde hair.

"I understand in death's name what you are trying to say, and I would if I could. It's just that I don't have what it takes, Spirit," Sanae said in agony, "Okay, if there's someone in this world who feels concerned for this girl's death, show that person to me. I'm begging you. Tell me, who really was that person?"

The Ghost warped Sanae to a waiting shed somewhere in the city where a teenage girl was standing.

She was roaming back and forth, expecting someone to come.

A boy who appeared to be older than the girl appeared, coming out of a taxicab that just stopped by. He then sat beside the girl in the waiting shed.

"Houston, we have a problem," he said, "But there is still hope."

"If she relents, there is," the girl said, "Nothing will surpass hope if a miracle has happened."

"She is past living. She . . . . . . is already dead."

The girl was delighted to hear the news. But she emotionally prayed for forgiveness the next thing she did, feeling sorry.

"How did that happen, big brother?" she asked.

"The half-drunk man that I told you the other night? He said that to me. What I thought was a rather lame excuse just because he was drunk the whole time turned out to be true. She was not only ill, but she was dead."

"Big brother, I think I see it now. Her school scholarship will be terminated, right?"

"I'm not sure, li'l sis. But I'm sure there's going to be a nicer transfer student filling in for her. On the bright side, we can live and sleep in peace."

Indeed, their spirits were brighter as the girl danced in celebration of a certain girl's death.

The event apparently indicated the Ghost's only sign of emotion, which was caused by pleasure.

"Let me see some tenderness connected with death, or this chamber of darkness will come to purge me!" Sanae exclaimed.

She was then warped back to the Takanashi family residence, more specifically, the same spot where she visited before.

Ms. Takanashi and Touka apparently engaged in crocheting, while most of the children were at the dining table, still static at whatever they were watching. It was very quiet.

"And she took a girl, and set her in the middle of them."

Sanae has never heard those lines before. It must've come out from a storybook Junko read, but why didn't she continue?

Ms. Takanashi set her work on the table, putting her hand to her face.

"Ah, this color is hurting my eyes," she said.

The color? Poor Rikka!

"I think it's getting better," Ms. Takanashi added, "It weakens the color when the lights are on, and I don't like to have blind eyes to show in front of your elder brother once he comes home."

"It's past bro's time, I think, Ma," Satoshi said.

Ritsuko added, "He walked so slow in these past few nights."

"I think Ma and pretty much everyone, has walked with Rikka on his shoulders," Satoshi said, "She was light to carry, and uh, even though she had chuunibyou, bro liked her so much, no doubt about it."

While the atmosphere became quiet, Itsuki appeared on the door.

"Ma, I think that quilt was nicely done," Itsuki said, referring to the quilt Ms. Takanashi crocheted, "I hope it's done before Sunday."

"Sunday? You went today then?" Ms. Takanashi responded.

"Yes, Ma. I wish you could've gone. It would be good to see how lush green that place would be," Itsuki said, "You'll all get to see it."

He continued to sob, shedding a tear.

"Ma, I convinced myself. . . . . , to go there every Sunday . . . . . First, Papa was gone, and now. . . . . . , our youngest sister. . . . . . . ," Itsuki continued, as Touka and their mother sobbed beside him.

"Please don't be grieved," Ms. Takanashi said, trying to comfort Itsuki.

"I'm fine, Ma. I'm in peace. . . . . . . . I'm sure none of us will forget Rikka. . . . . ."

Satoshi said, "We will promise not to forget our youngest sister."

"Thanks, Satoshi."

Sanae was grieving as she stared at the sight.

Itsuki left the room, heading to upstairs. He couldn't bear the fact that he and his youngest sister would go separate paths.

There, he went to a well-lit room. A chair was set close beside the bed where the child was laid down in a piece of cloth, and it was pretty clear that someone was apparently there.

After praying, he kissed the little face in the bed. He then went downstairs, feeling reconciled.

Back at the dining table, the family talked about school and Touka's work in Italy, among other things.

Itsuki then explained the kindness of Sanae's cousin, Mitsuki, whom he once met, and when they did in a street that night, he said that she was a little . . . . . .

" . . . . down, as you can see. Nevertheless, I said to her that she is one with a pleasant personality. She said to me, 'I'm sorry, Itsuki. And also, very sorry for your mother too.' I don't know how she knew about it, I only know the things that I know."

Junko interrupted, saying to Ms. Takanashi, "You know what? You would make a great mother."

"Junko, everyone knows that," Satoshi said, "Let bro finish what he just said, okay?"

Itsuki said, continuing, "She continued, 'I'm very sorry for your mother. If only I could be of service to you in any other way.' She then gave me a card and said, 'This is where I live. It's very handy if you want to simply drop by, or if you want to talk, that's it.' And it really seemed that she knows our Rikka very well, and is apparently concerned about her just now."

"She would make a good friend of yours," Ms. Takanashi said.

"You'll be sure of it, Ma. If you got to see her and say something to her, I wouldn't be surprised if she, unless if I'm mistaken, gave Satoshi a job or something like that."

"You hear that, Satoshi?" Ms. Takanashi said, looking at him.

"And then, he will be keeping company with some girl and setting up for himself," their grandmother added.

Satoshi responded, saying, "Hold on, grandma. I'm not really planning to get a girlfriend just yet. But because I just graduated from college, I would like to appreciate it if I also worked in Italy, you know."

"There's a lot of time for that," Itsuki said, "But once the time comes when we go separate ways, I'm sure no one here will forget Rikka, right?"

"No one will!" Satoshi, Junko, and Ritsuko chanted.

"And I know that, when Papa and I recalled how patient and mild she was, although she was the youngest child, we will never quarrel with each other, and forget her in doing it."

"Never!" cried most of the family.

"I'm so happy," Ms. Takanashi said, "Your Papa will be happy too."

"You said it, Ma," Itsuki said.

Touka, Ritsuko, Junko, Itsuki, and Satoshi all kissed the cheeks of their mother, grandmother, and grandfather. Spirit of Rikka Takanashi, thy light and essence came from God!

"Spirit, I think the time to use Parting Shot begins soon. Tell me . . . . . . , who's that girl we saw lying dead?"

The Ghost warped Sanae to a classroom filled with students where a vacant armchair occupied by Sanae was located, but a transfer student who just showed up and introduced himself in front of the class sat on her assigned seat.

After that, the specter warped her to a graveyard fazed by a stormy blizzard.

Sanae felt dreaded as the Ghost went on its feet, pointing its finger at a nearby gravestone.

"Spirit, before I go to the stone in which you point, are these the shadows of the things that will be or is it the things that may be?"

The Ghost neared at the gravestone, continuing to point its finger.

"The course of every being foreshadow its ends, and if those are departed from, those ends will change. Isn't that right?"

The Ghost still pointed out at the gravestone as Sanae continued, "Tell me who's the person who's going to be purged by the darkness right now!"

The gravestone, while it used to be blank, was eventually warped to have the name . . . . . . . .

DEKOMORI SANAE

Much to her shock, Sanae screamed, "No deathly way! No! Was I the one who's on that bed?"

The gravestone was eventually warped to reveal Sanae's birth date of . . . . . . .

Born 2 April 1996

"Please hear me, Spirit. I'm not girl that I was! Why care to show me this if I'm past all hope?"

The gravestone continued to be warped, this time revealing . . . . . .

Died

"Spirit! I can convince you that I will learn to change the shadows that you have shown to me! Changed by an alternate dimension!"

The gravestone continued to be warped, revealing. . . . . . .

25 December 2013

"Spirit, no! This can't be happening, in death's name!" Sanae pleaded, screaming, "I will promise myself to get rid of that stone in Mori Summer's name!"

The Ghost appeared in its full physical form, saying, "Of course I am Mori Summer."

The Ghost unveiled its hood, and it was none other than . . . . . .

Shinka Nibutani.

"What? The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is the fake Mori Summer?!"

"Search your feelings, you know it to be true."

"No! You're not the real Mori Summer I used to know! You're a fake! You only did this on purpose so that you can set me up!"

"Me? A fake?"

Shinka laughed out loud, ending with the line, "Okay, you know what? You are completely bullshit. If you keep calling me a fake, I'm cursing you to death. And also, I'm gonna make you change your ways, and learn to love Christmas for as long as you live!"

She continued her cackle, immersing herself in a dark aura.

Later on, Shinka transformed into a shadow-like creature with a fog-like ghostly substance on her head, covering one of her eyes, which were now blue. She had a red spiky growth in her neck and her arms were now skinny, laced with black tatters. Her hands now resembled claws, and also sporting what looks like an old, ripped cloak. Her legs disappeared, apparently replaced by stilt-like appendages.

"I am a shadow, the true self!" Shinka said, now in her new appearance.

"Bend the reality, synapse break! Banishment, this world!" Sanae chanted, causing a hammer to appear in her grasp.

"Let's see if your delusions will help you now, little kid," Shinka taunted.

"Mjolnir Tornado!"

Sanae spun her "hammer" right in front of Shinka.

The latter summoned multiple clones of itself, avoiding Sanae's attack.

"Little kid, can you tell which among these clones is the real me?"

"Mjolnir Lightning!"

Sanae stomped her "hammer" on the ground, generating bolts of electricity.

All the clones hit by the attack vanished, but the real one dodged it.

"Lunatic Mjolnir Crusher!"

Sanae thrusted her "hammer" at Shinka, who managed to block it with her hands in response.

Sanae cried out to Shinka, "You're still a fake! Didn't Mori Summer say that 'love means everything'?"

"Of course I am Mori fucking Summer. Love _means_ everything, and it also includes loving Christmas!" Shinka replied.

Much to Sanae's aghast, she was knocked back by a dark pulse of energy generated by her left hand.

"I won't lose to the likes of you!" she shouted, quickly getting up.

"Geraint Black!"

Unfortunately, just before she could make a move, a black ball appeared before her, engulfing her in. She was subsequently put to sleep.

"She's . . . . . . too . . . . . . . strong . . . . . ." she mumbled weakly.

Later, she woke up to notice Shinka, apparently back in her human self.

"Little kid, you lost," said Shinka, "I have the Mabinogion you took away from me after I put you to sleep. And so, little kid, I'll have to send you down the bottom of the pit behind you."

Sanae looked behind her, noticing the depth of the pit.

Turning back at Shinka, she kneeled, saying, "I will purge my own heart to love Christmas. I will learn the lessons that the spirits of goodwill have taught to me. I just want to clear away the name in that stone, and lastly, I wish to purge myself from darkness!"

Shinka said softly, "Shut the fuck up. Go back to middle school and be a family girl, wielder of the Mjolnir Hammer."

She kicked Sanae in the head and vanished.

Sanae frequently managed to make Shinka crack under the pressure. However, the latter turned the tables this time around, managing to prove that she is indeed Mori Summer.

The latter screamed, falling down to the bottom of the pit.

"I also wish to believe that the fake Mori Summer _is_ Mori Summer!"

Just when she was about to reach the very bottom, light appeared, warping her back to her very own bedroom.

Her heel apparently dwindled to a bedpost, detaching it as she stumbled to the floor.

"Such misfortune."

* * *

_Chapter notes:_

_* The dialogue between the four students mentioning about Sanae's death references two of the lines of Maxwell Smart in Get Smart._

_* The dialogue between them also contains nods to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star._

_* Mitsuo makes a callback to Death Note, thinking Sanae's death wasn't because of "an illness caused by __somebody claiming to be Kira writing her name on a certain black notebook"._

_* Apollo 13 - "Houston, we have a problem."_

_* Bakemonogatari - The line __"I don't know how she knew about it, I only know the things that I know" is based after Tsubasa Hanekawa's catchphrase._

_* Star Wars - __"Search your feelings, you know it to be true."_

_* Pokemon - The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, who turns out to be Shinka Nibutani, eventually transforms into what suspiciously looks like Darkrai and basically pulls off Double Team, Dark Pulse, and Dark Void. The shadow who chases after Sanae is also inspired from Darkrai. Earlier on, Mato mentions the first line of the Pokemon Theme, and Sanae mentions Parting Shot.  
_

_* Shin Megami Tensei: Persona - "I am a shadow, the true self!"_

_* Street Fighter - Shinka's last line is modified from one of Guile's lines._

_* The last line of the chapter. Didn't get the reference? Go back to Stave 2.  
_


	5. The End of It

_A/N: This one's the last chapter, posted on the very last day of 2013.  
_

_Taking from what I promised earlier, this chapter takes place within the Christmas OVA. In addition, however, the climax is modified a bit in order to blend it with the end of the story. This chapter will never make sense if you never checked it out, so . . . . . . . .  
_

* * *

_**A Chuu-2 Christmas Carol**_

_**Stave 5**_

_**The End of It**_

* * *

Yes! The bedroom post was her own. The Mabinogion was her own, the bed was her own, and so is her room. And most of all, the time before her was her own, good enough for Sanae to set right what would otherwise go wrong!

Sanae noticed the curtain that fell down when she stumbled. She was delighted with joy.

"The bed curtains, they're here! Wait, what? That means I'm here without getting thrown into the darkness!"

Sanae continued to jump with joy, already fluttered and glowing with good intentions.

"The shadows of the things that would have been may be gone! They will be!"

"I don't know in death's name what to do though," she continued, dancing, "My hair's light as a feather, and I'm as merry as a schoolgirl! Oh wait, I am indeed a schoolgirl."

She did a familiar chuckle and said, "I swear I heard that laugh before."

She pointed out at the door, continuing, "Was that the door leading to where the Dark Flame Master sat by? I think that was also the same door where the ghost of Matthew just entered."

She noticed the Mabinogion at the desktop computer nearby.

"The Mabinogion's there too."

She went to open the frosty window, noticing a bright sunny morning in the chilly atmosphere. The air was fresh, and the sky was clear.

"What's today?" Sanae called out to a teenage boy in winter clothes who apparently went past by at the sidewalk. He was bringing along a sled.

"Eh?"

"What's today, young boy?"

"Today? Why, it's Christmas Day."

"Christmas Day? I haven't missed it," Sanae said to herself, "The three spirits have done it in one night. They can do as much as they want, and of course, they would."

She returned to the teenage boy, saying, "Hello, there!"

"Hi there!"

Sanae asked the teenage boy, "Do you know the nearest cake shop on the corner?"

"I was expecting to hope myself that I did."

"Good. Do you know if Christmas cake is still made available? I'm not talking about just one slice of cake; I'm talking about the cake as a whole."

"You mean the large one?"

"He is delightful!" Sanae said, "Yes, young man."

"I think it's still available."

"Is it? Go and buy it then!"

"Why can't you walk there by yourself?"

"I'm in earnest. Just go and buy a box, bring it back here, and I'm going to give you a hundred yen. Got it? Oh, and also, if you come back in less than five minutes, I'll give you 500 yen!"

"But before I proceed, who shall I call you?"

"Sanae Dekomori."

"Right on it, Sanae," the boy said, rushing quickly as he dragged along his sled.

Sanae giggled and said, closing the window, "Perhaps I'm gonna send the Christmas cake to Itsuki. He wouldn't find out who sent it. If it's stacked with another Christmas cake, it's now twice the size of Master."

Because she apparently visited their home slightly far from the city, she managed to write the name of the address where Itsuki lives on a card. Her penmanship wasn't a bit off.

Outside, Sanae was ready for the coming of the teenage boy from earlier.

He arrived along with a pastry chef, bringing along the large Christmas cake placed inside a box.

"The Christmas cake you asked is inside this box."

Sanae approached the boy and said, handing him the card, "Considering how large it is, it's not possible to carry it to this address I showed to you. Bring it on your sled and take a train."

Sanae handed the boy 500 yen as promised, and payed the pastry chef for the Christmas cake at the same time.

The boy brought the box containing the Christmas cake along in his sled and went away, presumably heading for a train station.

She went back inside the mansion, taking a warm bath in her bathroom. After that, she dressed herself up in a winter coat.

She also donned a long, multicolored woolen scarf.

When she was done, she went back out into the streets.

She walked as if she were dancing, greeting some carolers she passed by.

After giving them a large sum of change, she noticed the two teenage boys who entered the Dekomori residential mansion before, walking on the street.

"You're Sanae Dekomori, right?"

"Yes. About the donations. . . . . "

"Actually, we are continuing to do this even after what you said, and uh~"

"I'll change my mind. I lied at whatever I just said. I'm actually looking forward to donate, and you see, I have a lot of clothes that won't fit me anymore."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Of course not, in death's name! Mom told me to!"

"You and your family never did this before," the tall boy said, "What's with the change of heart?"

"Ýou see, I had a dream about Matthew Kurisu and three other spirits coming to haunt me."

"You were definitely playing as Scrooge in that dream," the tall boy said, "Who were the three other ghosts paying you a visit?"

"Alternate versions of Kumin, Yuuta, and Shinka, respectively."

"That was scary, no doubt, considering the fact that the last two had chuunibyou-" the short one said, before his line got cut short by a soft karate chop.

The tall one continued, "Actually, they both got rid of chuunibyou, so . . . . . . "

"So, can you two come to my abode to get the donations?"

"Sure, why not?"

With the Dekomori family giving the most donations, people in the Philippines that became homeless due to a strong typhoon named Haiyan would apparently get something huge.

Sanae danced around the city, soaked in her new holiday bliss.

That evening, Sanae extended her Christmas fun at the Dekomori residence, having invited Shinka, Makoto, Yuuta, Rikka, and Kumin. She was dressed in a Christmas-themed gown.

Because she ended up eating a cake that contained alcohol, she, in a drunken state, was unaware of the fact that Yuuta and Rikka both went home because the latter also ended up doing the same as Sanae.

**Outside the gate . . . . . . **

"Where's Master?" Sanae asked.

"She went home with Yuuta," Shinka replied, patting Sanae's shoulders.

"I can hardly forgive him for not telling me-"

"That's enough. Time for us to go home."

Suddenly, Sanae snapped out of her drunken state.

"Just what's going on in here?" she asked, "You're starting to get close to me just lately."

"What now? Were you thinking it's me this time?" asked Shinka.

"You're very serious and always looking after me! But you don't care as much as Master does!"

"Would you give me a break?" Sanae replied and sighed, comforting Sanae.

"Take me to where Rikka is going!"

"How did this happen?" thought Shinka.

"But first, I'll be right back," Sanae added, rushing to a restaurant not far from the abode.

Makoto asked, "Where is she going?"

Just like the one time when the Dark Flame Master payed Sanae a visit, Mitsuki and Sanae's schoolmates were inside, having a guessing game with the exact same guesses as before.

"Is it a Pokemon?"

"No."

"A Digimon?"

"Nope."

"Is it a rather disagreeable animal?"

"Yes."

"Is it an creature that grunts and growls?"

"Yes, and a close one at that."

". . . . . . and is Japanese?"

"Yes."

"Was that a horse?"

"No."

"An ass?"

"Both yes and no."

"I think I know who it is, it's your good ol' friend . . . . . . . . "

Just before the girl could continue, Sanae entered the restaurant entrance.

"Sanae Dekomori," Mitsuki said, surprised, "Why, bless my soul."

The atmosphere became almost quiet as everyone glanced at the twin-tailed girl.

Sanae said, "I thought you said you're going to dine at my abode."

Mitsuki rubbed her nape and said, "You see, I couldn't be able to do that at your place because your schoolmates invited me, and uh~"

"It doesn't matter. I may have gone to dinner with my own friends, but uh, can you help me look for Mas-, uh I mean, Rikka?"

"Sure, why not," Mitsuki said.

After the dinner, Sanae's schoolmates immediately left the restaurant, agreeing to help her look for Yuuta and Rikka.

At the steamboat, Rikka and Yuuta were having fun together. . . . . . .

. . . . . . . until Sanae, Shinka, Kumin, Makoto, Mitsuki, and Sanae's other schoolmates showed up in front of them.

"What is this I see?" Sanae said, "There's no way you would go along with Master without telling-"

Shinka restrained Sanae, saying, "Stop it already!"

"Mjolnir Hammer!"

Sanae whipped her twin-tailed hair, striking both Yuuta and Rikka. Just as Rikka was about to fall, Yuuta managed to save her . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . as a kissing sound came to the senses.

"Are you alright?" Yuuta asked. Rikka nodded.

"Just what was that sound?" Mitsuki asked.

Shinka and Sanae, on the other hand, both tripped, and . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . ended up locking lips with each other.

Sanae cried "Just what were you doing?"

"That was my line!" Shinka replied, "Why did you steal my first kiss?"

"To think about it, that would raise a new flag," Makoto thought, taking a hit from Sanae's twin-tailed bola.

"It's not a flag!" Sanae and Shinka both exclaimed.

Sanae's other schoolmates cackled in laughter.

Sanae said, rubbing her nape, "Uh, that was an accident. Sorry about that."

One of Sanae's schoolmates replied, "That's fine by us. It's Christmas, and therefore, everything should be peaceful."

"Well, yeah. I guess you're right," Sanae replied.

Everyone continued to have fun at the boat ride. When the boat returned back to its dock, Yuuta, Rikka, Mitsuki, Shinka, Kumin, Makoto, Sanae, and her other schoolmates returned to their respective abodes, greeting themselves, "Merry Christmas!".

**The next day . . . . . .**

Sanae was in her bedroom, apparently surfing the Internet on her computer.

At the same time, Itsuki showed up.

"Itsuki, what do you mean by coming here at this time of day?"

"I'm sorry, Sanae. My sincere apologies, if there was something wrong I did to you. I just wanted to see you because your mom's not around, and uh-"

Sanae said, "Come here."

"I was making merry and having fun just yesterday."

"I'm not going to stand for this any longer. And you know what? . . . . . . . "

Sanae's tone of disgust changed.

". . . . . . . You know what? Mom just told me your earnings will be raised!"

"Your mom's supposed to tell me that, not you."

"That's alright, because . . . . . . . "

Sanae laughed happily and continued, ". . . . . . Mom was aware of the fact that you were doing so well in her business. I was concerned about you and your struggling family, and so, I told Mom all about it. And so, she did. Oh, merry Christmas to you!"

"But it was Christmas yesterday."

"That's not going to matter as long as I make a greeting to you!" Sanae answered, dancing around with Itsuki in her bedroom.

Despite some differences, Sanae Dekomori remained true to her word. She did it all, and to Rikka, despite the fact that she still wore her eyepatch but didn't die, treated her as a friend. Not only that, she became good as a friend, good as a bright student, and she was good as a teenage girl, as the city already knew, or pretty much any place in the world as well. Several people laughed at the new alteration in herself, but she let them laugh regardless, as she learned how to be humble. Even though she showed signs of hatred for Shinka after they ended up kissing each other, she eventually mellowed down. Her heart laughed, and it was enough for her.

She made no further encounters with the three Spirits. She also eventually vowed to leave chuunibyou behind. If she went back to it, she moderated it. She also managed to make her room clean and tidy, also leaving behind the numerous copies of the Mabinogion that she produced. She even gave her twin-tailed hair a makeover.

But most of all, Sanae Dekomori learned to love Christmas and celebrate it right. May her example be instilled in every single one of us in the future generations to come.

And so, as Rikka Takanashi, of all things, observed . . . . . . . .

**"God bless us . . . . . . everyone!"**

**FIN  
**

* * *

_Chapter notes:_

_* Sanae dons a long, multicolored woolen scarf. In Doctor Who, the Fourth Doctor wears a similar scarf._

* * *

_A/N:_

_And that ends the fanfic, A Chuu-2 Christmas Carol. Even though Christmas is over when I posted this, it's still not that bad to check out. _

_Now that it's done, I'll continue thinking of a way to end The Best Wishes of Haruhi Suzumiya, and that's going to take a long while._

_I had so much fun in writing this fic, and I hope every reader had fun reading it. _

_This has been Ojamajo Pokemon Master, signing off. I thank you all!_


End file.
